


fathers and sons

by Robin_in_a_hoodie



Category: The Bright Sessions (Podcast)
Genre: ? I think?, A little, Emotional Baggage, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Gen, Hiking, There's crying, adam's granpa died, and i needed to hear some things so i made mr hayes say things, i love my main man elijah and i'm activly stopping myself from writing his entire life, i think it's wholesome, i'm amazing at tags, they have a Talk
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-01
Updated: 2020-01-01
Packaged: 2021-02-27 10:02:09
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,600
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22075168
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Robin_in_a_hoodie/pseuds/Robin_in_a_hoodie
Summary: adam's dad decides it's time he takes his son on a hike.
Relationships: adam hayes & elijah hayes
Comments: 2
Kudos: 9





	fathers and sons

**Author's Note:**

> (title is taken from dave malloy's fathers and sons but the works do not share any fucking feelings or themes)

“I think i should go on a hike.”  
Adam looked up from his eggs. His dad placed his phone screen down on the table and got up to put his dish in the sink. His mom looked at his dad, a little confused, maybe surprised.  
“You haven’t gone on those in ages,” she commented.  
“Sounds like a reason to go.” He started washing his dish, flinching when at the water a bit, he didn’t wait for it to warm up. “Boychik, want to join?”  
“Me?”  
His dad let out a chuckle. “Do you see anyone else here going by that name?”  
“Um…” Adam couldn’t place what exactly was it that felt off, but something did.  
His mom noticed it too. “Elijah, is everything alright?”  
“Why wouldn’t it be?” He put the now clean dish in place and leaned a bit back against the counter, and gave his wife a soft smile. “It’s just a hike.” He looked at Adam’ somehow less soft, less… Worn out, maybe? “You don’t have to come, if you don’t want to.”  
“No, i…” He didn’t really want to go on a hike, but something felt wrong, something about how the edges of his dad’s smile seemed just a little too tight. “I’ll go. that sounds good.”  
His mom looked at him too, surprised but this time far happier. “Well then. I'm sure it’ll do you good, you really don’t get much fresh air…” she mused. “Why don’t the two of you get dressed and I’ll make you some sandwiches to eat there?”  
“That sounds great, thank you.” His dad gave his mom a quick kiss on the chick and the next second he was already gone.  
“Did anything happen?” Adam asked, still a little confused.  
“Not that i know. but a hike would be great for you, get some exercise, fresh air, let your eyes rest… Just wear something warm, it’s chilly today.”  
“Okay mom…” 

Adam isn’t the type to go out in nature too much. He doesn’t really go out at all, but the forest wasn’t in his top favorite places to go to when he does go out. He liked not stumbling over overgrown roots, and not stepping in mud, and staying away from bugs.  
But this was… Nice.  
He followed his dad silently, and it felt weird at first but at some point the silence became strangely comforting. The cool air on his face woke him up, the greenery was beautiful and his dad slowed down when they passed near anything pretty so that Adam could take it all in. It wasn’t too fast or too difficult, just nice.  
“Are you going to sacrifice me to god?” he joked.  
“What?” his dad looked back, slowing down some more.  
“You know, like the Binding of Isaac? it was the parsha last night, you talk to me about it…”  
“Oh, right, it was… Sorry, no, I am not going to kill you, and also I did not plan on making it look like I will.”  
Adam laughed a bit. The only person who would ever need to give this apology was his dad.  
“I didn’t know you actually listen to it when i talk about the stories.”  
“Of course i do? You said it yourself, it _is_ my culture.”  
“It is.” He looked at Adam with this proud look, the one that Adam never could get out of him on purpose. He never gave him this look for getting good grades, there was a different one for those. Not as warm, not as full of emotion. He would give him this look sometime when he played the piano, when he’d say some things, sometimes with no reason at all.  
He liked getting it.  
“So why are we here?”  
His dad chuckled a little. “To walk? Do you know what a hike is? oh-” he stumbled over a rock and caught Adam’s shoulder in an attempt to not fall on his face. “I didn’t plan on doing that, god”  
“That’s for the vague replay.”  
“You think so?”  
“Pretty sure god is telling you to tell me what’s up.”  
“Yes, well. he might. Works in mysterious ways though. We might never really know.”  
“Is that your way of telling me that you aren’t going to let me know anything?”  
“I will. I just…” he trailed off, picking up his speed a bit. Adam followed suit.  
They reached a fallen tree at some point. It was big, there were some mushrooms on the ground just next to it, some growing right on the bottom side of the bark. Some flowers grew right next to ii and the light streamed through the top of the trees in a way that made golden splashes dance on the forest floor.  
“You knew about this place?” Adam asked, dazzled.  
“No, but it’s pretty. Stuff like that happens in a lot of forests though, you know, dead trees are good fertilizer for the stuff around them…” He stood on the old tree trunk, stabling himself on the round surface. “Speaking of, are you hungry?”  
“Yeah, i guess.”  
“Food is in your backpack.” he jumped off, a bit of a messy landing but he didn’t seem bothered. “There’s a thermos with tea as well, we can stay here for a little.”  
“Right.” Adam sat on the old tree and his dad sat down next to him. sandwiches were passed between hands and Adam decided to skip the lukewarm tea.  
“This is nice,” Adam blurted out at some point. “I’m kinda glad I came.”  
“Well.” his dad smiled at himself a bit, surprise in his eyes softening. “That’s good. I’m glad you’re here.” He looked around for a minute, almost like he was looking for something. “Back when I was your age, my dad would take me hiking sometimes. Well,” he stopped for a moment, frowning. “Actually he would just go and I’d… follow him, I guess. He didn’t mind that though, so…” He trailed of again. “You look like him a bit.”  
“I do?” Adam smirked. He didn’t feel like he looked like anyone on his dad’s family, all of them pale and with nice, tameable hair that accepted gravity as a thing and listened to it.  
“You do. A lot. You have the same eyes, and the same chin… And you have the same look in your eyes when you play the piano…” He sniffled, just a little, and fixed his glasses. “He’d say you were his gift, you know, you were born so close to his birthday... “ Adam could see tears in his eyes.  
“dad?” Adam asked, feeling like he was choking a bit.  
“He… Loved you… So much…” Elijah looked at nothing, just a spot in the air, tears slowly rolling down behind his spectacles. “You know that?” he looked at his son, a weird, painful, broken smile-like expression on his face. “He wasn’t very good at showing that, but he really did… So much…” He removed his glasses and wiped some tears of with the end of his sleeve. “He passed. I got the message on breakfast.”  
“Oh…” Adam didn’t need it spelled out, he was already crying, fat tears rolling down his face. “I’m. Sorry.”  
His dad looked like he was trying to smile still, as if his eyes aren’t red and shiny, as if his face wasn’t a wet, red mess. “Don’t be,” he put an arm around his shoulders, pulling his son into a hug, “He just…” there was silence for a second, then a sob.  
Adam wrapped his arms around his father, finding the closeness comforting.  
“He told me, on your bar mitzvah, he said; you know? He’s gonna be… So great… He’s gonna be such-” a sniffle, “-such a good man. He said; I can tell, I can feel it.. it radiates off him, it goes before him, his brain and mind and soul… Oh, god...” He broke down, putting his other arm around his son, holding him tight.  
Adam’s grip tightened, he never saw his dad cry like that. It made his heart ache in a way that felt too big for his body. He had fistfuls of his dad’s jacket and he almost felt like if he could grab onto more, the ache in this heart would go away.  
“I’m… So sorry…” his dad’s words were muffled through his hair. “I didn’t mean- I wasn’t going to tell you like this. Here.” His dad’s arm went up and down his back, soothing. “I just. I needed to go out… But… I needed to be with you? Boychick, do you know i love you?” his voice broke and he let go of the hug, just a little, just so he could find Adam’s face.  
“Of course I do, dad…” Adam felt the cold air hit his wet face, and he tried wiping his face with his sleeve. “I love you too.”  
“I know.” he smiled, genuinely. “I just feel like, I’m also kinda bad at it. Emotions, you know… In English especially… I just. Made sure you know.”  
“I do.”  
“And he was right. You’ll be a great man one day. You already are so, so great. you’re… so young…” he smiled again, his eyes welling up with tears once more. “and you’re already so wonderful…”  
Adam felt a few more tears streaming down his face, but he couldn’t help smiling. “thanks, dad.” his voice was hoarse, and he was exhausted.  
“we should. um.” he cleared his throat. “we should start heading home, i think.”  
“probably.”  
they both undid their hug and got up, neither being able to stand properly but still trying.


End file.
